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Community Radio Leaders Gather Virtually to Sharpen Storytelling and Reporting Skills

In a significant initiative to strengthen grassroots media, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), in collaboration with the Community Radio Association of India, hosted a national webinar on content creation, curation, and report writing for community radio stations (CRS). The virtual session brought together practitioners from across the country to share knowledge, explore challenges, and learn practical skills critical to the success and sustainability of community radio.

Shri Rajesh Kumar Sharma, Additional Director at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, inaugurated the session and underscored the importance of impactful reporting. He commended the collaborative effort by CEMCA and CRA in addressing real-world obstacles faced by CRS, especially in fulfilling documentation requirements for government and CSR-funded projects.

Dr Geeta Malhotra, Director of Read India and a pioneer in the community radio sector, led the training on content creation and curation. She highlighted community participation as the backbone of effective programming and urged stations to incorporate local dialects, cultural elements, and real-life stories. Drawing from over three decades of experience, she emphasised the role of radio in voicing the concerns of marginalised communities and catalysing social change.

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FDP on TEL and Blended Learning Prepares the Educators for Inclusive and Future-Ready Education

Commonwealth of Learning’s regional centre, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), in partnership with the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), Odisha, organised an online Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) and Blended Learning from 14-18 April 2025. The FDP, attended by more than 200 participants, emphasised the urgent transformation required in Indian higher education through digital innovation and inclusive pedagogies as enshrined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

At the inauguration of the FDP, the Honourable Vice Chancellor of BPUT, Professor Amiya Kumar Rath, underscored technology as a strategic enabler in education. He positioned blended learning not merely as a mix of online and offline methods, but as a learner-centric mind-set fostering flexibility, accessibility, and engagement. He stressed that faculty must go beyond “chalk and talk” to embrace digital tools like MOOCs, immersive technologies, and AI, ensuring no learner is left behind. The Vice Chancellor praised BPUT’s pioneering spirit, especially during the pandemic, and called on educators to drive—not just adapt to—change.

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The Role of Teachers in Refining AI: A Teacher in the Loop Approach to Educational Resource Development

The Bootcamp on Introduction to the AI-Powered OER Generator was held on 12 April 2025 at the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), a nodal agency of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in New Delhi, India. It was organised under the ongoing Teacher in the Loop AI (TiL-AI) initiative by COL’s regional centre, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) in collaboration with CIET-NCERT. The event brought together over 70 mathematics educators, participating both online and offline, to explore the potential of AI in harnessing their expertise to co-create educational resources that truly support teachers working in resource constrained settings.

The day began with an Inaugural Session, featuring welcome remarks by Dr B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, who congratulated the winners of the TiL-AI Open Math Challenge. In his address, he highlighted the importance of building a community of educators committed to enhancing mathematics learning through real-world applications. He encouraged the participants to contribute their knowledge via an AI-enabled, open educational resource (OER) generator for the wider teaching community, especially those educating students in under-resourced rural areas. 

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Transforming Teaching: FDP Equips Faculty for Technology-Enabled and Blended Learning

In a significant stride towards reimagining higher education in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Integral University, and Aryabhatta Knowledge University, conducted a Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Empowering Higher Education Institutions in Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) and Blended Learning from 7-12 April 2025.

The intensive programme aimed to equip more than 300 faculty members of participating universities with the pedagogical tools and digital capabilities essential for effectively integrating TEL and blended learning into their teaching practices. The FDP placed special emphasis on institutional policy development and creation of Open Educational Resources (OERs), making it a pivotal initiative for transforming teaching-learning processes across Indian higher education institutions.

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COL-CEMCA and NITTTR-Chennai Champion AI Integration in Vocational Education Across Asia

The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), the regional centre of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), has joined hands with the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research, Chennai (NITTTR-C), Tamil Nadu, to strengthen institutions and faculty engaged in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Together, they are conducting an international online training programme on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in TVET from 7 to 18 April 2025. The programme brings together over 60 participants from six Asian Commonwealth nations—Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Malaysia, Maldives, and Singapore.

Designed for TVET educators, trainers, institutional heads, and policymakers, this two-week programme aims to build capacity for the effective integration of AI in vocational education. The curriculum covers a wide range of themes, including AI-enabled smart classrooms, competency-based curriculum development, industrial applications, ethical considerations, and innovative assessment strategies. A particular focus is placed on AI solutions that promote inclusion, accessibility, multilingual education, and data-informed decision-making.

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